 All right, welcome back to Geeks are sexy. I'm Jason Laduke. It's the fourth Thursday or the fifth Thursday. It's the last Thursday of the month I don't remember what we did Thanksgiving was a week ago. Did you have a good Thanksgiving? I had a fantastic Thanksgiving. That's awesome. Thanksgiving here in Las Vegas is one of my one of my favorite times and it's just such a such a Great weather and such an easy way to do Thanksgiving here, especially if you don't want to cook or clean or anything like that You have a lot of options here. So I am here with Jenny Faye from Cupcake Girls Yes, you're the Las Vegas City Director for Cupcake Girls and what Cupcake Girls do is they provide Confidential support to those involved in the sex industry as well as those affected by domestic sex trafficking Through holistic resources case management and aftercare and I'm gonna let you describe what all those things really mean They provide non-judgmental support and that's really the part that I find so compelling about what it is You do is that there's no judgment associated with How you found them what you're doing now what you intend to be doing in the future They're just there to help you with whatever you with the things they can help you with and what you need right now Regardless of what you're doing right now, and I think that's so great because that's that's not how a lot of yeah Keep not how a lot of groups that are trying to help people work So and you're kind of your key tenants are respect resources and relationships will welcome Jenny Thank you for being here. Tell us about Cupcake Girls and how it got started in Las Vegas Thank you so much for inviting me on so Cupcake Girls has existed officially for almost eight years now We started as a 501c3 in 2011, but the story starts before then so in about 2009 Joy Hoover our founder and president she and her husband they were living in Michigan But they came to Vegas on vacation and they have a huge heart for people in general But especially for marginalized communities so even when they were here on vacation They couldn't help but look around and see who's being left out and it became very clear to them people in the adult industry in Las Vegas are very left out Really not having access to some basic resources and pushed aside a lot So they experienced this and then kind of went home and just couldn't shake it And so about three months later they looked at each other and said we have to do something They sold pretty much everything that they owned they moved to Las Vegas and joy said they lived on people's couches They ate lots of ramen noodles and they spent about a year just trying to Get to know the adult industry and get to know who the people were and what the people wanted and needed instead of coming in and saying Here's what we think you need but just to listen well So she did this by taking cupcakes into the strip clubs and legal brothels and on one of the early visits when she was Bringing the cupcakes and she said some of the dancers looked over and said our cupcake girls are here So joy was like well, I guess we're the cupcake girls so then by early 2011 like I said we got our 501c3 and by late 2011 we actually opened our branch in Portland Okay, so that's kind of the story of how we came to be I imagine that took a long time and was Could it could have been very frustrating for joy building that trust with the adult The entertainment community sex worker community here in town It's it's not not known for being a very trusting community and kind of rightly so right? Definitely consistency was key for us just to keep showing up and still is yeah, and you continue to do that seven years eight years later Right. Yeah, so so how did you get involved? So I got involved because I've been involved for about a year and for several years I just had this growing passion in my heart to equip and empower women and I I didn't really know how that would play out in my life I kind of tried things here and there and then about a year ago. I sensed maybe a new horizon Coming for me and I was talking with one of my friends and we had a mutual friend who volunteered with the cupcake girls So my friend just said I I think you would love working with the cupcake girls I think it would be a great fit for you And so that started the conversation and within my first conversation with joy. Oh my goodness I was so I was so enthralled by the mission by her passion for it And then even just as I shared about who I was and what they needed It seemed like it was gonna be a great match and it has been a really good match where I felt like I could contribute Well, but also where I felt like I was being fulfilled as I did that I feel like that's something that that you do well And maybe that's some of the secret sauce that joy has because I haven't met her in person but I've had a few emails with her and But I've met a few of the folks working as in the volunteer positions and you know in the office themselves And and you seem to have the sixth sense about this is the right person for us And and the sixth sense about this is the place I need to be and I think that's so cool that they're able to build those bonds so quickly So so tell us about the approach that cupcake girl states as it is little as we mentioned it's a little bit different in the the organization that help this community are not necessarily as Low judgment or no judgment as you are so tell us about your approach to help in this community So our number one core value is we love without agenda. So we don't come in and say I love you I love you when we just come in and say I love you and want to help in any way that would be helpful So we have three main programs in our direct care branch Which is our branch that works directly with our clients the first one is our outreach program So every month we still take cupcakes into the strip clubs and legal brothels in hot pink boxes And we take our resource cards that just tell who we are and resources that we offer and our hope is We start the conversation. It's a really good icebreaker and it lets people know we exist And like I said, we're here and we want to help if ever our help is needed or wanted And then our other two programs come into play once a client reaches out to us We have our referral program and our intensive case management program So our referral program is when a client maybe reaches out and just has one specific need like I I just need help getting to a dentist Or I just need help on my taxes someone who's gonna understand You know how all the laws work and not gonna judge me when they find out And not gonna rip me off because I might be paying the right right So all those things, you know, that's a referral where we can refer them to one of our vetted partners or resources And then follow up with them in about a week and see how you doing. Do you need anything else? Our intensive case management program is for our clients who they want to meet with their client their advocate weekly So then together they're gonna build a plan for how that client can get where they want to go And so we use an empowerment model. We don't tell people what to do We try to listen well ask good questions and really hear What does this person want where they want to go and what tools do we have that we can put in their hands that we can offer and Then if the client wants to take those resources cool And if not cool at their grown-ups and it's up to them what they do or don't want to do It really does sound not to be lit up But a phrase we used to use in the Air Force big boys and girls time, right? Yeah, you know what it is you were you want to get to here's how I can help you If you don't want to do this today, we'll be here if you want to come if you don't want to do this And you want to come back in three months will still be exactly so that's awesome Human trafficking. Yeah, that is something you guys are yes. This is this is kind of where this all started really It has a higher level of consciousness now in the United States then I think it did But I think when people think of human trafficking they think of things that are going on Overseas they think of things happening in Africa and Asia and you know Eastern Europe and that kind of thing Can you tell us more about how human trafficking happens close to home? Yes, and what what we could or should all be looking for what are some indicators we could be looking for especially here in Las Vegas? so I was Before I started working with the cupcake girls probably like the general public and when I thought of human trafficking I thought of like some really extreme movie that I had seen and that's like Liam Neeson Yes, and you don't really see that I don't see that in my neighborhood Trafficking doesn't happen here. Well, what I realized was yes, it the Liam Neeson kind of trafficking That's a reality in our world and it's not okay We provide aftercare for survivors of that as well But what we're seeing more and more is what's being called domestic sex trafficking That's trafficking that's happening within the United States within Las Vegas within our neighborhoods And so trafficking is especially sex trafficking anyone who is in the adult industry under coercion deception manipulation Threat and they're not in control of their wages So anyone in a pimped situation is in a trafficking situation because they are not fully in control of the choices happening around them They're not fully in control of their wages. So what we're seeing with that is a lot of nuances with trafficking For instance, we had a client come to us recently and she gave us permission to share this part of her story But she had been trafficked for 20 years and she didn't realize it Because there was such extreme manipulation happening. So she she didn't fully compute She just thought the guy that she was with was a sociopath. She didn't understand all that was happening. Maybe yeah Yeah, and maybe I think he is But also there's more to it. She said even at the airport those signs in the bathroom stalls about trafficking She said she would see those signs and think to herself those poor girls Not ever thinking that she was in that situation because for her She wasn't being physically abused and in her mind that was what meant someone was being your chain to irradiate her Yes, she was experiencing every other kind of abuse And let's talk about that because this can be really insidious. It can be it can be as insidious as some of these Women or men are getting paid for what they do and the second they're done. They're handing that money to somebody else I'm not advocating anybody breaking any laws I'm just but but I mean it could be as insidious as that is that that's the setup, right? And they're trained that that's the setup Yeah, so what are what are some some of those really insidious things that that we should we could or should be looking out for So we're starting to see maybe three main types of traffickers Like I said, it's really nuanced But you can kind of think in terms of three different types and one type is what's called the gorilla pimp or trafficker And that's probably what most people think of when they think of a pimp someone who has multiple people typically women that they Keep in submission by physical violence and force and threats like that Sort of be on the lookout That's a little bit easier to recognize and typically people in that situation Know that that is not a healthy situation and would like to be out of it But are often fearful as to how to get out of it But another thing that we're seeing is what's called a Romeo pimp. This is someone who? Often poses as a boyfriend or a girlfriend. We do tend to see it more a guy and a girl type of situation So a boyfriend maybe who? Gives lots of gifts. It's a really sudden and intense relationship where this guy just really takes care of this girl And then something turns maybe he says well, I take care of you So now you need to take care of me and my friends or or they have this fine relationship It's something snaps in the partner and suddenly, you know, they're they're throwing that adult worker against the wall and sing from now And you're gonna give me every penny that you make or I'll kill you And sometimes it's a light switch like that But a lot of times it's this really unhealthy relationship and people in that situation may not compute that this is my pimp or my trafficker They just think this is my abuser. They think I have a bad boyfriend. Yes I have a jerk for a boyfriend reject for a spouse. So and I think tell me if I'm wrong about this But what my own research on this what's really important about this is with these Romeo pimps This is always the plan. This is never it's not that switch goes on and some like they get in a fight and then all of a sudden I'm gonna make you I'm gonna make you work for me. This is always the plan Yeah, typically and I suppose there are some situations where it just happens However, it comes about it's not all right and really that deciding that thing that's really significant Is that the worker is not in control of their wages because that means then they're not in control of what happens in their life And they're not in control of being able to walk away if they wanted to walk away The third face that we're starting to see more and more is what's being called a CEO PIM This is someone who really comes at it from a business standpoint presents themselves as a business person has business cards Maybe talks about themselves as being an agent So maybe you know, they come up to someone and say is anyone ever told you you could be a model I want to help you get that going. Here's my card Let's exchange information and then that turns into that not a modeling relationship But pushing someone into the adult industry and taking their wages but a piece of Trafficking that we're realizing is because of the stigma around the adult community Most people in the adult community aren't talking about what they do or what their relationship is with the people in their life we're in the industry and So because of that, they're not your neighbor isn't going to come to you and say hey I've been hearing this word trafficking and I want you to know. I think that might be me, right? It happens through relationships So even with us at the cupcake girls sometimes we have clients who come in and as they're telling their story We have moments where we say gently Hey, did some of the things that you described are characteristics of sex trafficking. Are you aware of that? And so we're actually working on a brochure that lists out some of those characteristics Like I mentioned the not in control of your wages The manipulation to threat the coercion and not giving appropriate not being given appropriate breaks for food or water Are things like that that our clients could look at and see if some of those things maybe resonate with them Because that client who'd been trafficked for 20 years the way the light bulb went off She saw online that document that's basic human rights And then she went to our website and she read the definition of domestic sex trafficking and suddenly realized that was her life So it happens usually through a relationship and seeing some of the characteristics or having someone else gently Say some of these characteristics sound like this situation. What do you think about that? Yeah, that is something that we if we if we felt there was someone in our lives that That was going through this we could we could Kind of say to them I'm probably not the right person to talk to you about this But I I know someone who could talk to you about this and maybe give you some perspective on this and kind of gently ease them over to you Yep Well and one of the great things about cupcake girls is we're a resource organization So if you know of anyone who's in the adult industry Our services are open to any individual who is working or ever has worked in the adult industry in any capacity So if you have any friends who are in that industry or have been Let them know they can reach out to us just for help with any kind of resource and then hopefully as their advocate has Conversations with them and is figuring out who they are and where they want to go Some of these things might come up that might raise some flags if it's a trafficking situation And one of the things that you and I have talked about, but I don't think we've gotten to this in real depth Here is you're not trying to lean them out of that industry You're just trying to get them the help they need and let them make their own choices about Yes, what they do with their lives at that point. Yes, we are not a rescue organization. We are our resources and empowerment I think that's so important Okay, so I think we are out of time So who can we help connect you with and how can our viewers reach you? Yes? Our website is www.thecupcakegirls.org If you jump on there You'll find tabs to be able to get connected as a volunteer to donate you'll be able to find lots of ways that you can Support us Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here. We're gonna have you stay right here We're gonna bring Michelle back for our panel discussion talk a little bit more broadly about some leadership and business topics and things going on in Las Vegas I'm Jason the Duke. This is Geeks are sexy. We'll be right back with our panel discussion